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Jun 6 10 tweets 5 min read
Many know where Bengal’s bravest son, #SubhasChandraBose - Netaji – lived in #Calcutta, as he famously escaped house arrest from his home at Elgin Road, in 1940. But not many know where Netaji’s ancestral home or ‘Desh-er-bari’ is. 1/10
Now called ‘Subhasgram’ in honour of #Netaji, it is just 25 km south of #Kolkata, in a village formerly known as Kodalia. Simple and elegant, the two-storey homestead is being restored. 2/10
#conservation
Among Netaji’s ancestors was Mahipati Bose, who was granted a jagir by the Sultan of #Bengal, Hussain Shah, near the Bose ancestral home in the early 16th century. His grandson Gopinath Bose was also granted a jagir in Purandarpur, named after his title ‘Purandar Khan’. 3/10
However, Gopinath’s descendants moved to a neighbouring village called Kodalia, due to problems created by a change in the course of the river that flowed near Purandarpur. They lived there for at least ten generations, until Netaji’s grandfather Haranath Bose was born. 4/10
It was Haranath Bose who built the family home in Kodalia in 1760, and it was named ‘Haranath Lodge’. One of his four sons Janakinath, Netaji’s father, moved to Cuttack in Odisha, in search of a career in the 1880s, and this is where Netaji was born on 23rd January 1897. 5/10
Since they were both rich and influential, the Bose family contributed to charitable and public works in their ancestral village, including a dispensary which started during Netaji’s time. A group of #temples only 3 km from the family home still belongs to the Bose family. 6/10
Haranath Lodge covers a large area. The Durga Dalan and its grand entrance served as the venue for pompous #DurgaPuja celebrations, situated right next to the residential quarters. It is a single-storey structure with an appealing facade, decorated with broad columns. 7/10
The two-storey homestead was decorated with arches and flanked by a courtyard and a granary, which contributed to the agricultural income of the family. Although no one occupies the family home now, branches of the Bose family continue to live in the village. 8/10
Until recently, Haranath Lodge was in a pitiable state, wrecked by water seepage. This was highlighted by a survey conducted by Jadavpur University’s history department and, in 2018, the state government is restoring the house to promote tourism. 9/10
And it’s just as well. Netaji visited his ancestral home throughout his life and mentions it frequently in his correspondence. Since it had a deep impact on him, it is steeped in memories of Netaji and his role in India’s #freedommovement. 10/10

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More from @LiveHIndia

Jun 7
What was Mohandas #Gandhi doing carrying wounded #British soldiers off the battlefield in #SouthAfrica in 1899? Gandhi was merely leading by example, in the ambulance corps he set up to support the British against the Boers in the Second Boer War (1899-1902). 1/12
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But why would Gandhi support the British, especially since he had experienced the humiliation of racial discrimination in South Africa soon after he got there? It was #OnThisDay in 1893 that Gandhi was thrown off a train for refusing to comply with racial segregation laws. 2/12
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Jun 6
The India-Pakistan War of 1971 turned the INS Vikrant into one of India’s shining #war heroes but #didyouknow that this legendary aircraft carrier started life as the HMS Hercules in the Royal Navy? That didn’t stop her from winning glory for the #IndianNavy! 1/10
#navalhistory
It seemed as if the Vikrant - India’s first aircraft carrier - would never see action. She was 28 years old when she played a pivotal role in the ‘Bangladesh War’ of 1971; she was in poor shape; and her speed was just 25 kmph, almost half her designed speed. 2/10
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But this didn’t stop the old #warship from undergoing sea trials and the rigorous training of her crew, air squadrons and their pilots, in preparation for the impending #war that pitted #India against #Pakistan for the liberation of East Pakistan, or #Bangladesh. 3/10
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Jun 5
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Bahuguna was one of India’s early environmentalists. He walked 4,700 km from #Kashmir in the North to Kohima in the North-East to draw attention to the destruction of his Himalayan homeland by mega development projects. 2/4
He joined the #Chipko (tree-hugging) movement in the 1970s, started by women in #Uttarakhand to save the hills from loggers. Bahuguna drove the movement forward, till it spread to other parts of #India, including the south. 3/4 Image
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May 27
In the early 20th century, an #Indian Raja could snap his fingers and turn the fate of a #Spanish flamenco dancer into an Indian queen... as did the besotted ruler of the princely state of Kapurthala in #Punjab. A modern retelling of a #Cinderella story set in Spain. 1/11
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Like any tourist, the Maharaja wanted a night on the town and he walked into a nightclub. Here, Anita Delgado and her sister, both flamenco #dancers, were performing the curtain-raiser act that night. Delgado was just 16 years old but Jagatjit Singh was smitten. 3/11
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May 26
Owned by #kings, dukes & sultans, worn by Marie Antoinette, used to pay off a royal debt – and said to carry an ancient curse. It would have to be a #diamond. But not just any diamond. It’s the Hope Diamond, and it's from Guntur in #AndhraPradesh. 1/12 Image
The Hope Diamond is the world’s largest and most legendary blue gemstone. And equally remarkable is its tale, which begins in the famed Golconda Mines in Guntur. But it began life under a different name. 2/12
#gems #minerals
The diamond was discovered by an extraordinary #French adventurer and gems merchant, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, who visited #India in the mid-17th century. It was 112 carats, the size of a grown man’s fist, and it was called Tavernier’s Blue. 3/12 Image
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May 25
Can a lip-smacking chicken #curry be used as a tool for #revolution? Believe it or not but Rash Behari Bose, an #Indian revolutionary, did just that while on the run in #Tokyo. Bose was born #OnThisDay in 1886. 1/8
#food #cuisine #recipes Image
During the early 20th century, the #British in #India were feeling the heat as there was an upsurge in revolutionary activities during India's #freedomstruggle. A revolutionary from #Bengal, Bose played an important part in the movement. 2/8
He was involved in the assassination attempt on Lord Hardinge in 1912 and the failed Ghadar Mutiny of 1915. He escaped to #Japan and lived there under an assumed name and identity. 3/8
#Indianhistory #history Image
Read 8 tweets

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